Fishing rod holder



' NOV. 5, 1940. 1 B; HADAWAY 2,220,234

` FISHING ROD HOLDER v -Filed Dec. 9. 19257 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 N0V- 5., 1940 J. B. HADAwAY $2,220,234 y FISHING ROD HOLDER 1 Filed Dec. 9. 1937 sheets-sheet 2 Invent-07? 7i. 7.

ifm@ 1 Nov. 5, 1940. .1. B. HADAWAY FISHING RODV HOLDER Filed Dec. L 193'/ Ys'sheets-sheet":s

Patented Nv.5,194o. f I

UNITED s1-ms John B. Hadaway, Swampscott, `Mass.; FlorenceA S. Hadaway, executrix of said John B. Hadaway, I deceased 1 Application December 9, 1937, Serial No. 178,917 1 7 Claims. (Cl.248-4.2)

The present invention relates to fishing rod 4 isa horizontal sectional view on line 44-of holders, and more particularly to a. holder for Fig. 1, illustratingthe'construction o the parts supporting a fishing rod on the gunwale Vof a to provide for adjustment for different diameters boat, or on a seat or other structure. l of rods; Fig. 5 shows in detail a portion of the 5 Itis a common practice for iishermen, when front bracket with the slot and bolt for adjusttrolling alone, to position the rod With'the tip ment for rods of different diameters; Figs. 6 and extending over the side or gunwale of the boat or l are front and side'viewsrespectively of a slightly canoe and the butt held by the legs or hip, leavlmodiiied construction of the rodisupporting and ing the hands free to row or paddle. This method clamping members at' the front portion of the of holding the rod is most unsatisfactoryfnot h01der;. Figs. s ande are from and'side views 10 only because .of the insecurity of the support, a respectively of stillfanother modification of the sudden bite of a iish or the catching on asnag front rod supporting and clamping members; often jerking the rod out of control and someand Fig'. 'l0 is a top plan view of a modied form times overboard, but further, .because of the inof the rearrod holding member.

ability of theiisherman to move his legs or body The fishing rod holder illustrated in the draw- 15 to any appreciable extent without dislodging the Y ings consists, generally speaking, of 'clamping rod or losing control of it. means for securingthe holder tothe gunwale of Attempts have been made to provide fishing a boat or other structure, a bracket adjustablyV `rod holders which could be attached to the gunsecured to the clamping means to provide for 2 Wale or seat or otherpart of a boat to hold ther varying angular positions of the rod both hori- 20 rod extended over the side while the `arms and zontally and vertically, and rod supporting and legs of the iisherman were entirely free, but such kclamping devices on the bracket.

devices as heretofore constructed have all been The clamping means forse'curing the holder to defective in one or more particulars.y Some would the boat, as shown in`Figs.j1 and 3, consists. of a not receive a rod equipped with the usual reel. the .U-shaped clamp II-having the abutment I3 25' Others did not hold the rod with suicient seat one extremity andthe screw clamp I5 at the curity to prevent dislodgement and perhaps loss other. A circular boss I1 in the clamp midway of the rod in the event of a heavy strike orcatch the extremities is provided with a central openon a snag. Still others did not aiord the desired ing in -which is receivedv the threaded stud I9 3o facility of insertion of the rod in the holder and havingat its'lower end ahead 20 from the ope 30 particularly of its removal therefrom in the event posite sides of which extend the arms2|A with f of a strike. faces 23 to engage thetop surface-of the gunwale It is the object of the present invention to proon each side ofthe holder and prevent any lateral vide a iishing rod holder which will avoid these tipping ofthe same. A similar boss 25 with cenobjections and which will hold reel-equipped rods tral bore 2'I is'provided adjacent `the. abutment .35

.of varying sizes securely in any desired position I3to permit the U'elamp II beingisecured to the on the gunwale of aboat or other structure With' boat in a vertical position, as ldistinguished from out the possibility of displacement or loss of the.V Vthehorizontal position shown in Fig. 1; theV stud rod, at the same time providing for its quick I9 then being in the bore 21 and the` other parts 40 andeasy insertion into, and removal from, the being as showninsaid figure. Shoulders 29 adL 40'l holder by a simple vand natural motion of the jacent the bosses 'are in position to engage 'the' hand and wrist. l ystraight side face vof the head.- 20, tovmaintain To the above ends the present invention con' the stud in xed angular position with the armsv sists in the rod holder therein described and `at right anglesfto .thefclampl I.

.45 more particularly dened in the appended The bracket3| which carries the-rod support- 45 claims. ing 'devices consists of a middle arcuate section l'nthe accompanying drawings which'illustrate 33 and the front .and rear generally vertical what is now considered to be the preferred form sections 35 and 31. The middle section 33 is of the present invention, Fig. l is 'a side'elevation formed withy a longitudinal -slot 33 through which of my improved fishing rod holder complete passes the threaded upper end of stud I9 carry.- 50

showing the butt end of a rod held therein; Fig. 2 ing the clampingwing nut 4I. By adjusting the is a front view, looking from the left in Fig. 1, of curved middle section 33 forward or back under the front portion of the holder with the -rod in the Wing nut 4I, ythe desired vertical 4tilt of the section; Fig. 3 is a top plan view of thecomplete holder and rod may be secured.

holder shown in Fig. 1, but without the rod; Fig. A convenient form of .clamping device to pro- 5 i Ul vide for the desired horizontal angular adjustment of the holder consists of the two disks 43 and 45, the lower disk 43 having a transverse rib 41 on its lower surface to takeinto a corre- 5 spondingly shaped groove 4|) in theouter surface of the boss to hold the disk for rotational movement, while the upper disk 45 is formed with a pair of upwardly extending projections 50 which are received in the slot 33 in the central -portion 33 of the bracket 3|, and prevent relative rotational movement between the Ldiskfand bracket. The adjacent faces of the'two disks are notched or' serrated as shown at SI *tov prevent relative rotational movement between the disks when the wing nut 4| is screwedidown on `the bracket.` By loosening the nut the bracket and upper disk may be turned toany desfired'gangle horizontally, and at the same time adjusted as to tilt within the limits of `the .slot'giliin the bracket.

2/ The fishing rod is 'supported on-the bracket y by rodA engaging-members carried by the 'front and rear sections.; jand 31of the bracket. On the front sectionlthere are provided a rod supporting member 'for carrying the weight of the u. rod and a rod clamping member for holding the rod securely in the supportingmemberywithout danger of displacement or loss of the rod in the event of a strike or the catching of a snag. Since the rear section of the bracket is sub- V'lected only to an upward strain from the end of the rod, va hold-downor inverted hook is all .that is required such, for example, as thecurved member 55 forming the end or extension of the rear section 31 of the bracket. Preferably the 35 free down-turned end 51 of themembers will be inclinedl forwardly, as shown inl Fig. .1, to facilitatethe positioning of the end of the rod in the hook. Also, the hook` will be covered with rubber tubing 59 or other suitable material to prevent scarring of the finish on the rod and also to provide a friction surface which willtend to grip the rod and resist lengthwise movement of the rod therein. v e

The rod supporting member on the front section 35 of the bracket 3| comprises a forked or bifurcated extension of said section having the two arms diverging in substantially V- shape in vtheir lower portions and slightly. converging'in their upper portions, the diverging lower portions 50 forming a seat to receive and support the rod at its handle portion. Rubber tubing 62 or other protective covering on these arms prevents marring of the handle and also holds the rod more securely on the seat.

While the Weight 0f the rod tendsvnormauy to f in unison and with uniformity, and accordingly 55' a these arms are provided at their pivotal ends i `hold the rod to its seat inv the rod supporting Ymember, there is danger when vthere is a sharp momentary tug on the line, as where a fish strikes hard and misses, or the v,hook catchesr-momen j tarily on a snag, that the` backward spring of.

the rod' when the hook becomes free may throw the rod out of the supporting member with liabilityof its falling overboard and becoming lost. To guard against such accidental displacement 55 of the rod, clamping means are provided which act normally to clamp 'the rod rmly against the seat 1n the'supporting member, at the same time permitting the rod to be removed from the hold-4 er easily and quickly. 1,

The preferred form of 'clamping means shown in the'drawings comprises arpair of lclamping members 63 pivotally supported on studs 65 secured in bosses or arms 61 extending laterally from opposite sidesv of the cross-header block l 68. This block ls clamped: to a face 69 on the lower end of the 'front portion 35 of bracket 3| by means of the threaded stud 10 fixed in the block and extending through slot 1I in the bracket 3| (see Fig. 5), and the clamping wing nut 12.

In order to maintain the block in proper angu- 5 lar position with its arms 61 extending at right angles to the bracket, the block is provided withv theshoulder 13 which engages the sides 14 of portion 35 with a sliding fit. Thus the block and its pivoted clamping arms may be raised or low- 10 ered as desired whi1e maintaining at all times proper angular positions. y

The clamping or rod engaging faces ofthe clamping arms 63 are formed by the inwardly i turned portions 15 which contact the upper surl5 face of the rod or handle, as shown in Fig. 2, a spiral tension spring 11 connected at its opposite ends to the clamping arm 63 drawing these arms together and forcing the rod firmly against the seat with a wedging action. 20

The upper extremities 19 of the clamping a'rm 63 are bent outwardlyy to form cam facesA for forcing the clamping arms apart by the downward movement of the rod when it is being. in-

rserted in the holder, also serving to guide the 25 rod between the supporting arms 6|.

To prevent marring of the fishing rod by th clamping members the inturned clamping portions are preferably covered with rubber tubing 6| or similar material which, by reason ofits 30 friction,vtends to resist any upward movement of the rod whichA might result in dislodgment of the same from the holder. Preferably these portions 15 will be of reduced diameter as shown at 63, so thatthe surface of the'rubber tubing will 35 be flush with the adjacent surfaces of the arms, thus permitting the rod or handle to pass from the outwardly flaring portions 19 to the inwardly turned clamping portions 15 with a. smooth and easy movement. 40

Preferably the outturned portions 19 of the clamping levers are notcovered with rubber tubing or other material so that -the rod will slide freely over the metal surface as it is pushed downwardly into the holder. Furthermore, since 45 the rod, when it is being inserted in the holder; engages portions'of the clamping members more distant from their pivotslto force these members apart than when the rod is being removed from the holder, the greater leverage in the `onecase 50 facilitates, and the less leverage in the other case resists, the movement of the rod into and out of supported position.

It is desirable to have the clamping arms move with short, laterally extending arms having gear segmets 86 formed on their adjacent ends andv engagingwith one another so that the yclamping arms will move toward and from each 60 other in unison, and movement of the one arm will produce corresponding movement in the other. f

To' limit theapproaching movement of the clamping arms 63 toward one another under the 65 action of the tension spring 11, the gear seg-` ments 85 have been prow'ded with the stop 4faces 61 which will contact Lwith each other at the desired inward Vlimit of vmovement of the arms.

vInpthe" modified construction shown in Figs. 6 70 and 7, the arms 89 upon which the clamping members are pivoted are formed integrally with the bracket so that novertical adjustment to adapt the clamping vfor mosty efficient operation with varying sizes of rods is possible. `However. 16

by providing the adjustable stop screw 9| in.' the base 92, the limit of the closing movement off the clamping members may be varied, thus adapting the modified form for use with various rod diameters.

In the modification shown in Figs. 8 and v9, a single clamping member 93 has been provided and one of thearms 94 of the supportingmember has been extended and turned outwardly to form avxed rod guiding portion 95 which cooperates with the outwardly turned extremity of the single clamping member to guide the rod to the seat in the supporting member. Inward movement of the clamping member 93 under the tension of spring 95 is limited by the stop arm 91 engagin the arm 98 of the supporting member.

In order to provide for a wide range of diameters of butt end of the rod handle, the rear member 55 may be formed with a widely opening hook having a generally rounded shape at its rod engaging portion, as shown in Fig. 3. If it is desired to hold the butt end of the rod more rmly against lateral movement to position more certainly the tip of the rod, particularly with ,Y

small diameter handles, the hook |00 may be modiiied as shown in Fig. 10, to a more nearly V-shape.

It will be noted that the front and rear portions and 31 of the bracket are positioned well apart so that ample unobstructed space is provided between the front and rear rod supporting members, both above and below the rod, to permit the use in the holder of a rod equipped with a reel and at the same time providing room for the hand of the fisherman when inserting the rod in, or removing it from, the holder.

It will further be observed that because of the front support opening upwardly and the rear support downwardly, the instinctive and natural 4o movement of the hand and wrist will tip the rod about a horizontal axis passing through the hand,

thereby instantly disengaging the front ofthe rod handle from the front support and the butt end from the rear support, leaving the rod in the hand of the fisherman, free 'from the holder. Similarly, in replacingthe rod in the holder, the opposite motion of the hand and wrist will easily and quickly position the rod with the butt under the rear hook and the front of the handle in the seat in the supporting member.

In use the bracket will be mounted on the middle of clamp (as shown in Fig. 1) or on the y end section, according to whether the clamp is' to be mounted horizontally, as across the gunwale, or vertically as in an overhanging part or the edge of a thwart. The clamping members will be adjusted for the size of the rod, if needed, by loosening the wing nut 12 and moving the block and members up or down as required, after which the nut is tightened. v l

The rod may now be placed in the holder by first tilting the rod nearly vertically, then bringing the butt under the hook 55, and finally lowering the rod onto guiding faces 19 of the clampin g members 63, which automatically open as the downward movement of the rod is continued until the rod rests upon the seat in the supporting member 6| and the clamping members close over its top.

The desired angular adjustment and tilt of the rod are then obtained by loosening the wing nut 4| and turning the bracket 3| and upper disk 45 to give the proper angularity, and sliding 75 the bracket forward or back for the correct tilt,

` cept for the adjusting screw` 9| .of Figs. 6 and 7 4which will be raised orlowered `to lsecure the n, and described as embodied in a specific 'construcy Y tion," it lis to be understood ,thaty the linvention fwithin the limits dened bythe appe'nded'claims.

the parts being secured in position by tightening the wing nut'.

With'the modificationshown infFigs. 6 to 9, the manner of use is substantially the same, ex-

de'sired limit of closingmovementof the clamp'- s ing members.'v i j -Whilethe'present invention has .been/shown is not limitedltheretobutmay be embodied in' other constructions" and the form and arrange'- ment fofthe several parts thereof may be varied g What is claimed is:

1. A fishing rcdholderA having, in'czombination,`

a rod supporting member providediwithrspaced rod holding members, one,.of'saidmembers-being a down turned hookfto holdV the butt .endfo'f'ithe rod, and the ,other member h'aving,a'rigid, up-

y wardly openseattosupport the rod; and ,a pair of .pivoted clamping members each provided with silient means for urging/fthe clamping members and a rod clamping memberfclitmprising .9,

V-shaped rod receiving seat. va pair rif-rigid pivotally mounted clamping membershaving angular rod engaging `faces movable/into! andjout oi' 35* clamping position, (xrtairi'- portions {of such faces forming va V'to receivethe rod guide it'to said seat when lthe rod is being inserted in the' holder, and other portions v forming ian inverted V to clamp the rod to'the seat, and resilient means yielding to permit the clampin embers to movek to release the rod when the rod isfrfaised against"` the last mentionedportion of said rod engaging faces. ,5" 3. A fishing rodyholder having, combination,

a rod supporting member havingiarodreceiving .seat and rod guiding'means for guiding theyrod to the seat, and a yrigid rod clamping'member piv-` otally mounted `onthe 'supporting' member and' 'provided with afrod clampingj'faoe toclampthe Vrod to said seat fand with` roderigagingxjmeans adapted to move the clampingfacefzawayffromf'". the seat by the action of the rod fon said meansas the rod is caused to approachr the seat, and a spring for urging the clamping member'and face toward the seat.v

4. A fishing rod holder having, in combination, means for holding the butt of a frod, a rod supporting member, means carrying said holding means and supporting member, rod clamping members pivotally mounted upon said carrying means, said clamping membersbeingconnected together by gear segments, a spring for urging said members toward each other, and stop de-y vices for limiting said movement.

5. A rfishing rod holder having, in combination, y

a rigid, rod supporting member provided witha rod receiving seat, a rigid clamping member pivoted below the seat and having an inclined engaging face to engage the upper surface of. the rod to clamp the latter to saidseat, anda spring',

. normally urging the rod clamping memberin one direction to cause its inclin lr 'ceto engage the vv4:0 normally tending to move the clamping members to bring said faces into clamp' g position and j rod and clamp it to said seat, and yielding to permit the membertoibe moved in theother direction by the action of the rod on the inclined face of the member when the rod is raised.

- 6. .A fishing rod holder having, in combination, v

a rod supporting member provided with a rod receiving seat, a pair of rigid arms pivoted adjacent ythe supporting member and below the seat and having rod clamping faces upwardly and inwardly inclined towards one another andY movable into engagement with opposite upper surfaces' of the rod for holding the rod onl the seat of the rod holding member, and resilient means for moving the clamping members into clamping position, said means yielding to permit the members to move apart by the action of the rod on the clamping faces when the rod is raised. Y

". A shing rod holder having,v in combination,

a holding member for the butt of a rod and rod .i

faces, and resilient means tending to turn the 10 clamping members toward one another and yielding by the `action of the lrod on the inclined faces to cause said members to separate when the rod is lowered or raised from the seat.

J OHN' B. HADAWAY. 

